1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to boot bindings for snowboards and more particularly to a snowboard boot binding apparatus which allows the angular position of the snowboard boot binding relative to the snowboard to be quickly and easily adjusted without removing the snowboard boot from the binding.
2. Description of Prior Art
Snowboarding is a recreational sport, similar to skiing, wherein a person travels down an inclined snow-covered surface while mounted to a board similar to a skateboard or surfboard. The popularity of snowboarding is rapidly growing all over the world and may soon surpass skiing. As a result of this growth, the quality of snowboards, snowboard bindings and associated peripheral equipment has improved significantly over the years.
As on a skateboard or surfboard, a snowboard rider stands so that both feet are positioned at an angle substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard (the direction of travel). This position is desirable because it allows the snowboarder to roll back and forth on their heels and balls of their feet in order to change the surface impression of the board in the snow, thus enabling the snowboard to turn. In order to maintain this position, the protective boots worn by a snowboarder are mounted to a binding which is fixedly bolted to the top surface of the snowboard at the desired angular position.
A snowboard rider often wants to adjust the angular position of their feet relative to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard to accommodate different snow conditions or snowboarding styles (i.e. slalom racing, downhill cruising or freestyle acrobatics). This is difficult to do with the above described conventional snowboard binding system, since the angle can only be adjusted by unbolting and repositioning the whole binding, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming procedure.
Also, it is extremely difficult for a snowboarder to propel themselves across flat surfaces using the conventional snowboard boot binding system. Traditionally, when snowboarders encounter surfaces which require external propulsion, they release their back foot from the rear binding and propel themselves by pushing with the released back foot while the front foot continues to be strapped into the front binding. In order to more effectively propel themselves in this manner, the snowboarders typically rotate their upper body and hips so that their shoulders are perpendicular to the direction of travel and their back foot is parallel to (i.e. pointed in) the direction of travel. This makes it easier to "push-off" with the back foot. However, because the front foot is positioned almost perpendicular to the direction of the travel, a great deal of torque is induced on the front knee. Further, it is difficult to maintain the shoulders and hips in this position. This awkward positioning makes it extremely difficult for a snowboarder to propel themselves across flat surfaces using the conventional snowboard boot binding system. Because the terrain in the vicinity of ski lifts is generally substantially flat, these problems are encountered every time a snowboarder rides a ski lift.
Also, the conventional snowboard boot binding system presents problems while riding chair lifts. Snowboarders typically board the chair lift with the same binding configuration used while propelling themselves, that is, with the front foot mounted in the binding and the back foot released. On a typical chair lift, the riders sit side by side facing the direction of travel of the chair lift. Therefore, the front foot of the snowboarder points in this direction as the snowboarder sits on the chair lift. Since the front foot is still mounted to the binding, the snowboard extends at an angle substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the chair lift, thus interfering with the skis or snowboards of other riders. This is especially problematic when the snowboarder sits in the middle of a 4-person chair lift (quad chair lift). It is possible for the snowboarder to alleviate this problem by rotating their front foot in order to point the board straight ahead. However, this induces torque on the knee and is extremely uncomfortable for the snowboarder, especially if they assume this position for an extended period time, for example during a long chair lift.
Devices have been developed which allow a snowboarder to adjust the rotational orientation of the binding. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,068 (Donovan) teaches a device for rotatably mounting a snow-boot binding to a snowboard. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, this device comprises a support plate 25 to which a conventional boot binding 11 is mounted. Support plate 25 is fixedly mounted to swivel plate 31 using nuts 28. Swivel plate 31 is pivotally mounted to an adapter plate 29 via center bearing 33. A flexible cable 57 passes around the circumference of the swivel plate through a groove 53. The rotation of swivel plate is released and arrested by tightening and loosening a manually operated handle 51 as shown in FIG. 3. To adjust the angular orientation of the binding relative to the snowboard, the user releases the handle 51, rotates the swivel plate to the desired position and then re-locks the handle.
Although the device of Donovan allows for the rotational adjustment of the snowboard binding, it suffers from several drawbacks. since the rotational position of the swivel plate 31 is only secured by the friction between the flexible cable 57 and swivel plate 34, an external force, such as one exerted by the snowboarder while snowboarding, may force the swivel plate to rotate. The presence of ice or snow in the vicinity of the cable 57 may exacerbate this problem by reducing the friction between the cable 57 and swivel plate 34. Since the handle is on the surface of the snowboard, the handle may become disengaged from the locked position during operation of the snowboard by a piece of snow or ice. Also, the device taught by Donovan is large and heavy. Further, there is a large gap between the bottom of the snowboard boot and the top of the snowboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,635 (Gillis) teaches a water skiboard binding system which allows for the rotational adjustment of the bindings relative to the direction of travel of the skiboard. The rotational position of the binding is adjusted by rotating footbed 136 about baseplate 110 to the desired rotational position. The rotational position of the baseplate 110 is secured by wire 146 which is locked and unlocked via handle 158. Because a wire is used to secure the position of the baseplate 110, this system suffers from the same problems as the device taught by Donovan.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,698 (Carpenter) teaches a snowboard binding system whose rotational position relative to an axis perpendicular to the snowboard can be adjusted. The binding system comprises a binding plate 18 which can be rotated relative to a hold-down plate 30 which is fixed to the snowboard 10 via screws (not shown) extending through holes 42 in the hold-down plate. The binding plate 18 and the hold-down plate 30 each have ribs or ridges 34 and 32, respectively, which lock the angular position of the binding plate relative to the hold-down plate. The rotational position of the binding plate 18 can only be adjusted by removing the snowboard boot from the binding plate 18 and disengaging the screws from the holes 42 in the hold-down plate. Therefore, angular adjustment of the binding cannot be done "on the fly".